Criminology and Justice Studies

Prospective Students - Graduate

The school's graduate programs offer degrees at both the doctoral and Master's levels, as well as several professional certificate programs. The faculty at UMass Lowell is well versed in numerous topics in the field of Criminology and Justice Studies. The list of faculty-produced research is extensive. The diversified faculty allows UMass Lowell to offer not only standard classes such as Criminology and Research Methods, but also cutting-edge classes on Crime Mapping, Domestic Violence, and Terrorism.

The doctoral degree at UMass Lowell is an interdisciplinary, research-oriented degree. The program is designed to provide a theoretically grounded, methodologically sophisticated, and statistically rigorous education. The curriculum provides for a sequence of courses in theory, methodology, and statistics, as well as substantive courses addressing the incidence of crime, the prevalence and correlates of criminals and victims, and the effectiveness of current strategies in the areas of crime prevention, policing, the courts, and the corrections system (both institutional and community based). The curriculum stresses evidence driven and “best practices” approaches to numerous substantive topics that are key areas in contemporary criminology and criminal justice.

Established in 1984, the Criminal Justice Masters of Arts program has had a long history of producing dedicated, well rounded students who are in top demand by federal, state and local agencies. With the dynamic nature of criminal justice, more and more employers are demanding greater levels of academic achievement from their employees. UMass Lowell's flexible program allows for full or part time study in a range of specialized fields. This permits many of our students to continue full time jobs while attaining the Masters degree.